Overflowing Reservoirs Cut Off Ampara District

COLOMBO (News 1st); Widespread heavy rains across Sri Lanka have caused significant disruption to lives and infrastructure, with Ampara district bearing the brunt of the impact. 

The Disaster Management Center reports that vehicular movement on some roads has been restricted due to flooding and landslides.

In Ampara, the hardest-hit area, 1,198 families totaling 3,773 individuals have been displaced from their homes and have been relocated to 14 temporary shelters.

Widespread flooding is reported in Ampara due to the Moravil Oya, Gal Oya, Ekgal Oya, and Pallang Oya breaching their banks.

The Ampara Iginiagala main road, a vital link within the district, has been completely submerged from the Suduwella area onwards due to the combined spillover of Ampara Reservoir and Konduwatuan Reservoir. 

Sri Lankan armed forces and police stepped in to assist with transportation services in the affected areas.

In Suduwella village, 41 families displaced by the overflowing Ampara Reservoir have found temporary refuge in a camp set up at the Mahavapi temple.

Hagoda Indrasara Vidyalaya, another displacement camp, now shelters 36 families driven from their homes by the rampaging Gal Oya.

The South Eastern University in Oluvil announced the closure of all faculties except the Faculty of Applied Sciences until further notice. 

Students residing in university hostels were told to vacate their premises, and the Faculty of Technology has postponed its ongoing examinations.